Coming Home
by londonlupin
Summary: "Hermione, those chairs, in the front where my parents and godfather should be sitting will be empty. I thought that I had accepted that fact a long time ago."  Decision made, she released the locking charm and opened the lid to reveal the beaded bag...
1. Chapter 1

Coming Home

"Are you almost ready to go?" Hermione called out as she pulled on her sweater. She walked into the sitting room to find that Harry was no longer there. "Harry, where are you?" she called as she headed toward the kitchen. With a quick scan of the room, she realized he wasn't there either. She wondered if he'd left without her, but that was unlikely. He always waited for her when they were headed out, unless they'd had one of their very rare arguments. She debated whether or not she should just head to the Burrow and see if he was already there. After a moment's pause she decided she'd keep looking and continued to search Grimmauld Place. He wasn't in the sitting room, library, dining room, or his bedroom. "Homenum revelio" she uttered in exasperation. The glow from her wand indicated that someone was on the floor above. Only Sirius and Regulus' old bedrooms were up there. With a frown she quietly headed up the stairs to the third floor. When she reached the top step, the sight before her made her heart ache. Harry stood before Sirius' old bedroom with his hand on the silver nameplate that adorned the door and bore his godfather's name. His broad shoulders were shaking.

A bit bewildered at this sight, she silently she walked over to him and placed her small hand on his shoulder. Surprised, he jumped slightly at her touch and turned to face her. A few tears slipped silently down his flushed cheeks as he gave her a rueful smile. "What is it Harry, what's wrong? Why are you up here?" she asked. He sighed deeply and leaned back against the closed door. "Nothing Hermione, let's just go" he answered. She folded her arms and looked at him expectantly. He recognized that practiced look – it was the one that had rarely failed to make him divulge whatever worry or pain was plaguing him.

After a few moments under her intense stare, he relented with a sigh. "I've just been missing him so much lately Hermione. Now that Ginny and I have started to make plans for the wedding, it bothers me more and more that my family will not be there that day" She began to protest this but stopped when he held up his hand. "Yes, you're my family, my sister in every way but blood, and I can't tell you how much it means that you're going to be there. But those chairs, the ones in the front where my parents and godfather should be sitting will be empty. I thought that I had accepted that fact a long time ago, even before I asked Ginny to marry me. However, with all of Molly's talk of seating charts and wedding toasts, it's just another reminder that those chairs will be vacant."

Without a word, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight. He returned her strong embrace briefly then stepped back. "The bride is the one who is supposed to cry and be all emotional, not the groom," Harry muttered as he wiped the tears from his face with the sleeve of his shirt. "You must think I'm an idiot." Hermione felt her own eyes fill with hot tears as she shook her head. "No Harry," she said softly, "I understand how you feel. Trust me, they'll be watching over you on that day. They are right here." she laid her palm on his chest. His steady heartbeat strummed beneath her hand. He took a deep breath and in a low, barely audible voice said, "I know my parents will be with me in spirit. They told me as much when the resurrection stone let me see both of them. But they never said anything about Sirius. I really thought that he would have been with them when they appeared. And considering the situation I was walking into that night, well, I didn't think to ask about him. Lately I've been wishing that we had managed to get back to The Veil and tried something…anything." His voice trailed into silence as another tear rolled down his cheek.

"Harry, I don't know what to say" whispered Hermione. She knew that he'd begged Dumbledore to help him find a way to retrieve Sirius, but the headmaster had convinced him that it was hopeless. He had told him that he needed to accept Sirius' death and let him go. He urged Harry to keep his focus on finding the horcruxes and preparing for his eventual encounter with Voldemort. Harry adjusted his glasses and attempted a small smile. "There's nothing to say Hermione. Let's just get over to the Burrow before Molly sends out a search party to look for us." He grabbed her small hand in his and pulled her along the hallway. They hurried down the stairs and over to the gleaming marble fireplace. One at a time they each grabbed a handful of floo powder and stepped inside shouting "The Burrow!"

Hermione stepped out of the fireplace in the Weasley's sitting room, followed closely by Harry. She was heading towards the kitchen when she felt Harry's hand upon her arm. She turned and saw a look of trepidation on his face. "What Harry?" she asked. "Please, just don't say anything about what I told you. I don't want to put a damper on the fun that Molly and Ginny are having as they plan everything" Harry whispered. Hermione looked up at him with a sad smile. "All of your secrets are safe with me, as you know. I won't say anything. But Harry, you might want to share this with Ginny. She would want to know how you feel, good or bad." With a shrug, Harry said "maybe" and ran up the narrow stairs to find his fiancé. She watched him leave and shook her head.


	2. Chapter 2

Coming Home – Chapter 2

Once Harry had left the room, she headed toward the kitchen. Delicious aromas tickled her nose as she pushed the heavy oak door open to reveal Molly and Arthur sitting at the table. Arthur was reading the Saturday edition of the Daily Prophet while Molly waved her wand over the countertop, setting several sharp knives to the task of chopping an array of vegetables for a salad. "Hello Hermione," she smiled at the young woman. "Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea?"

"Not right now Molly, maybe later," she answered. "Can I do anything to help prepare lunch?" Molly shook her head, "No dear, I've got everything under control. The scones are ready to come out of the oven and I've sent Ron and George down to the village to pick up a few things for me. They just left but should be back in a little while. They decided to walk since it's such a lovely day. I'm sure if you hurry, you could catch up with them."

"That's okay, I think I'll just go relax in the garden until they return, Hermione answered. With Harry's words on her mind, Hermione picked her way past the fragrant rose bushes that dotted the area behind the house. A gnome poked its tiny head out from the base of one of the plants to sneer at her as she walked on to her favorite spot at the Burrow. The large, glistening pond was out of view from even the uppermost windows of the Wesley home. This was her retreat – a quiet place where she could escape the hustle and bustle of the large, noisy family. She ventured down to the pond whenever she had to make a significant decision or simply needed a good cry. This was the spot where she had headed every day when she planned their search for the horcruxes, and where she mourned the loss of her parents, who had been in a car accident just over a year ago.

It was also here that she and Ron had decided to end their relationship two years after the final battle. Their love had cushioned the excruciating grief they experienced from the loss of so many family and friends. But as they emerged from that pain, it became very clear that they were not a good match. After a few blissful months, they had resumed their constant bickering and were both afraid that it would not only end their fragile relationship in a terrible way, but their long friendship as well. Plus, they were fighting pressure from Molly, who was itching to plan another wedding, as well as the rest of the wizarding world, who expectantly awaited an engagement announcement. The public was a bit put out when Harry and Ginny had indicated their plans to take their relationship slowly. Everyone was pining for a happy ending for their hero as they slowly rebuilt their community. It was then that the public redirected their attention to the other two members of the Golden Trio. The constant speculations about the pair in Rita Skeeter's weekly column only served to put additional strain on an already difficult pairing. In the end, there were tears in both Hermione and Ron's eyes as they agreed to end their romance and preserve their long friendship.

She sat down and settled against a large oak at the edge of the pond. Closing her eyes, she let the warm breeze waft over her. Images flashed in her mind — piles of wrinkled parchment and notes that she, Ron and Harry had produced together in the months following Sirius' disappearance behind the veil. The task of returning Sirius to them seemed impossible, but they pushed on, hopeful to find any small lead that would give them the answer they wanted. She recalled the enormous stack of books that they had nicked from the Hogwarts library in the middle of the night as they tried to find more information about the veil. But when Dumbledore revealed the existence of Voldemort's horcruxes to Harry, the trio had reluctantly agreed to admit defeat and move their efforts on to the new problem at hand. Unbeknownst to Harry, she, along with Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna quietly pushed onward with the research on the veil at the beginning of their sixth year, until the need to focus on the horcruxes put an end to their efforts.

Hermione lay back on the lush grass and replayed her conversation with Harry in her head. He had only explained what had happened the night that he surrendered himself to Voldemort once. The story had been shared with her, Ron and Ginny a month weeks after the battle. It was obvious that he only intended to relay everything quickly and made it clear that he did not want to answer any questions once his tale was over. She had not given any thought at the time to his use of the Resurrection Stone, as she was more disturbed by the fact that her best friend had willingly walked to his death. Now she wondered—if Harry had only seen his parents that night and not Sirius as well, did that mean that he was not 'truly dead'?

She absentmindedly rubbed her hand on her right side, just over the spot that Dolohov had hit with a curse in the Department of Mysteries. The battle had been in full swing when she'd been struck down and knocked out. When she came to a day later in the infirmary at Hogwarts, Ron had quietly told her that Sirius had been killed by Bellatrix. He had held her hand while she quietly cried and only left when Madame Pomfrey had chased him out. She had not asked for any details, as it was obvious that Ron had not slept in almost two days and was likely trying to support an angry, guilt-laden Harry as well.

Closing her eyes, Hermione thought about Sirius. He had survived so much, slipping from his Azkaban cell, past Dementors to swim across the North Sea to freedom. He'd eluded a fleet of aurors and had survived on the run until he opened up Grimmauld Place to the Order of the Phoenix. Was it possible that he had managed yet again to escape the true death? Her logical mind refuted the possibility but her soft heart was not completely convinced.

The sound of a flock of birds in the reeds on the other side of the water brought Hermione out of her reverie. Her decision made, she stood and turned to the trail that led to the back garden of the Burrow. She slipped into the house, crossed the empty sitting room and ran up the steps to Ron's bedroom. Carefully closing the door behind her she waved her wand at it and muttered "colloportus" to prevent anyone from disturbing her. Reaching under Ron's bed, she pulled out a small wooden box that she had asked him to keep for her. With five swift movements of her wand, she wordlessly released the locking charm and opened the lid to reveal the beaded bag that had saved the trio on more than one occasion during the hunt for the horcruxes.

Gently, she ran her finger over the outside of purse, its rough exterior missing half of its beads thanks to the abuse it received during the year on the run. The bag held so many overwhelming memories. She was about to open it when she heard someone shouting her name from below. If anyone could get thru the door, it was him. Quickly she stood and secured the bag around her slim, tan thigh, then pulled the skirt of her dress back into place. Reaching for the doorknob she yanked the door open to find a George standing there with a mischievous grin on his face and his hand raised to knock.


	3. Chapter 3

Coming Home – Chapter 3

"Hello my lovely lady," he smirked and leaned his head into the room, looking around. "What are you doing? Up to no good?" She paled and took a breath as she prepared to rattle off some lame excuse for poking around Ron's room when he interrupted. "It's not that April Foolish Day today, is it? Last year when you finally pranked Ron, you blamed some muggle holiday. I thought I had marked it on my calendar at the shop. Have you set up a trap to get him back at him for helping me to test that potion out on you last month?"

Hermione grinned nervously, "No, no just looking around." George looked at her doubtfully and shook his head. "You are such a bad liar Miss Granger. Want to tell me what you are up to?" She stood up as tall as she possibly could, put her hands on her hips and firmly said, "No, I really don't." George knew not to push once Hermione got into what he referred to as her "fighting stance". Instead, he pinched her cheek and said, "Ah fair lady, I withdraw my question. I only came up here to tell you that Sir Charlie, tamer of dragons is here, so it's time to eat. I'm bloody starving!" She laughed, "Well far be it from me to stand between any Weasley and their food." They sped down the rickety stairs and outside to the long table in the garden where Molly had laid out another one of her impressive spreads.

Harry and Ginny were standing on the other side of the table with Charlie. Ginny was showing him the engagement ring that sparkled on her finger, as this was his first trip home since their announcement. Ginny received an enthusiastic hug from Charlie while Harry got a hearty slap on the back and dire warnings muttered in his ear to 'treat his little sister right'. When they turned to take their seats, Charlie looked up and saw Hermione approaching the table. He let out a low whistle as he looked her up and down appreciatively and said "Hey Granger, you're looking fantastic. I bet our 'ickle Ronnikins is kicking himself for letting you slip through his fingers."

"Watch it Charlie," warned a voice from behind her as Ron exited the back door carrying a wicker basket full of his mother's homemade scones. "George says the same thing to me at least once a week, I don't need you having a go at me too," he said as he took his seat. Hermione sat down next to Ron and leaned across the table. "Oh, I don't know Charlie" she whispered conspiratorially. "Based on the loud and wild sounds I heard the last time I flooed into Ron's flat without warning, I'd say he's got his hands quite full with Susan Bones." Red faced and grinning sheepishly, Ron muttered "sod off, the lot of you!"

The back door opened once more as Bill, Percy, Molly and Arthur exited the house to join the group at the table. Platters and bowls were passed around in a flurry, accompanied by the sounds of chatter and laughter. Conversation quickly turned to the latest news at the Ministry and updates on friends. Charlie caught Hermione up on the changes and improvements that had happened at his dragon reserve since she had visited a year ago during a holiday weekend. Inevitably, Percy interrupted them to quiz Charlie on the new regulations he was proposing on the use of dragon's blood.

The beading of the bag strapped to her thigh pressed against her skin, distracting her from the conversation. She shifted in her seat to try and alleviate her discomfort and thought of the challenge that lay ahead of her. She wondered if she would even be able to determine if Sirius had indeed passed on or not. They had not been able to access very much information about the veil after the battle at the Department of Mysteries. Their resources were limited to what they were able to access at Hogwarts and the contents of the Black library at Grimmauld Place. Now, of course, she would be able to pursue many other avenues of information, but she wondered where she should even begin to look.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice that several people at the table were trying to get her attention. Suddenly, a loud voice shouted into her ear, "Hermione, earth to Hermione!" She jumped in her seat and knocked over the glass of lemonade placed next to her plate. "For heaven's sake Ron, why are you screaming at me!" she fumed. Quickly she waved her hand over the liquid and whispered "Evanesco" before it could spread any further across the tabletop.

"Nice wandless magic, Hermione," smiled Charlie. Hermione blushed at the compliment before turning to Ron to learn why he had yelled into her ear. She raised her eyebrow as she looked at her friend and waited for him to explain. Ron sighed and shook his head. "What is going on in that big brain of yours? You had that faraway look on your face that you get when you are about to start working on a ridiculously complex project."

"Oh Hermione dear," interrupted Molly. "I thought you were going to take some time off since you've finished your part of the study with St. Mungo's. You really should take time to have a holiday or take up a hobby." Before Molly could start recommending a travel agent or a knitting class, Hermione said, "I've just taken on a new client. It's just a small, private project and it will not be too stressful." The others at the table had all tuned into the conversation and were looking at her doubtfully. She smiled and shook her head. "Truly, it's a small project; I can even set my own hours. No weekly reports to turn in, no meetings to attend."

"What is the project?" asked Arthur. He had been fascinated when Hermione had shared her plan to become a consultant several years ago. She had explained to him that she had decided to work for herself in a variety of areas rather than take one of the many offers she had received. This way, she could pursue her interests in a variety of subjects and determine what work she wanted to do as well as who she would work with. While consultants were common in the muggle world, they were not very common in the magical one, with the exception of a few careers in healing and potions.

Hermione could feel cheeks heat as she replied, "Well, it's just some research. I haven't officially even started it yet." She was determined to avoid divulging her plan to look into Sirius and the veil to anyone, as most of those present were likely to try and convince her that it was a fruitless task. Plus, she wanted to avoid giving Harry any false hope that she might be able to learn any more than they had been able to discover years ago. She managed to redirect the conversation to Bill by asking after Fleur and Victorie, who were visiting Fleur's parents in France.

Eventually, those gathered had eaten their fill. A lull in conversation had led to the clearing of dishes and leftover food. As soon as the table was completely cleared, Hermione said her goodbyes. She was eager to get home and explore the contents of her beaded bag.


	4. Chapter 4

With a heavy sigh, Hermione leaned back on the soft velvet chaise lounge and closed her eyes. The fire crackled merrily in the hearth, casting a warm glow across the room. The contents of the beaded bag were strewn across her office. Harry had insisted that she use the small sitting room next to the library as her 'home office' when she had moved in following the death of her parents. Hermione glanced around the mess again. She had not realized how many things were still inside of it when she had locked it away and given it to Ron for safekeeping.

Several books that she had not needed since she'd taken her NEWTS were in a pile in the corner. These had nothing to do with the Veil or horcruxes, but rather focused on much more mundane subjects. The rubbish bin was full of parchment covered with notes that she'd taken as she'd revised, plus pencils, ballpoint pens, broken quills and empty ink pots. She supposed she should have done a better job of cleaning it out when she'd finally managed to stop wearing it every day. She had held on to it "just in case", worried she might be caught unawares by any of the death eaters who had eluded capture. However, once Ron had gently convinced her to finally stop carrying it everywhere and let go of her fears, she'd handed it over to him with a kiss and not looked back.

She pulled the pile of parchment into her lap and sorted it into three piles. One pile contained very basic details about the Department of Mysteries and the Veil. This information included all of the details that they had found in books at Hogwarts. She read, "The Death Chamber is a large, square, dimly lit room similar to Courtroom Ten of the Wizengamot. The chamber has stone piers leading down to a pit in the centre, where there is a dais, upon which stands a Veil*…" She glared at this pile. The stack of information contained items that she'd read so often, she knew all of it, every single word, by heart.

The second pile included clippings taken from issues of the Daily Prophet and other publications. George, Fred, Luna and Ron had gotten their hands on every newspaper and magazine that contained any mention of the Department of Mysteries. This stack of information was by far the smallest, as the employees of the department were not called "Unspeakables" for nothing.

The last pile of information contained the few details that they had found about the Department of Mysteries in books that Kreacher had brought to Harry from the library of Grimmauld Place after Sirius' death. Of course, given that he had brought those two tomes to Harry under duress, there was no way to know if he had given him everything that was available in the house. Kreacher had grumbled that his mistress would not want the books of the Noble House of Black to be used by blood-traitors and mudbloods. Hermione had read the books thoroughly and knew that there was little within their pages that would help.

She stood and stretched, rubbing the back of her neck. A wave of annoyance crept over her features. She had spent all afternoon and the better part of the evening reviewing everything that she had held onto about the Death Chamber and Veil. No new insights had come of the effort. The house was quiet except for the ticking of the clock above the fireplace. As Hermione's stomach grumbled, she realized that she had last eaten eight hours earlier. Determined to salvage the rest of her evening and enjoy the leftovers she had brought home from the Burrow, she began to tidy up. Piles of information found a home in the bottom drawer of her desk. An old biro was tossed into a silver cup that held a variety of writing instruments.

Pushing in her chair, she noticed a small folded piece of parchment lying on the floor. She bent down to retrieve it, instantly realizing that the worn piece of paper was something that she, Harry and Ron had read hundreds of times. Although Harry had given Regulus' locket to Kreacher, he had left the note that had been enclosed within it in Hermione's keeping. When Kreacher had passed away several months after the battle, the locket had come back to Harry.

Hermione opened the faded parchment and spread it flat on her desktop. She read once again the familiar words of Regulus Black's defiant note to Voldemort. It was sad that the younger Black had realized his mistake in joining the Death Eater's too late. Hermione thought of the courage it had taken to write such a thing, knowing it was akin to signing a death warrant. She had been impressed that Regulus had even known what a horcrux was. The few Order Members that were made privy to exactly what Harry, Ron and Hermione had been seeking had no knowledge of them before the trio shared their tale. No one was surprised that Arthur and Minerva were unaware of horcurxes. But they expected that Kingsley, trained as an auror in the UK and abroad would have known. Regulus had known after all.

Hermione reached for the beaded bag, intending to slip the note inside when a thought struck. Regulus had known what a horcrux was and had recognized it. But how? Even Lucius Malfoy, who had one in his possession for years didn't know what it was. Oh, he'd recognized that it was an evil object, but it was obvious that he hadn't known just what he'd held. Thinking over what they had learned about Regulus, both during and after the war, she remembered his apprenticeship. When Harry had realized who R.A.B. was, the trio had combed through Regulus' room, looking for more information. One item they had discovered was an apprentice contract with the head of the Department of Mysteries.  
While Regulus had a trove of interesting books and other materials in his room, they had only cared about details on horcruxes. However, there were many items still housed in that room that might help.

Hunger and leftovers forgotten, Hermione rushed from her office to the staircase. Her destination – the top floor of the house.

*text provided by Harry Potter Wiki


End file.
